


Cry If I Want To

by womenseemwicked



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Banter, Bickering, Birthday Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 11:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14953527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womenseemwicked/pseuds/womenseemwicked
Summary: It's just another miserable, boring birthday for Billy when he shows up to sulk at his boyfriend's. Lucky for him, his boyfriend is pretty much the most romantic asshole ever.





	Cry If I Want To

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EMILYLAWLESS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EMILYLAWLESS/gifts).



> a very happy belated birthday to [Emily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EMILYLAWLESS/pseuds/EMILYLAWLESS/), and thanks to [Mei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blithesea/pseuds/blithesea/) for help with edits on this thing. love you crazies.

When Billy turns up at Steve’s back door on a late summer afternoon, Steve is immediately concerned.

It isn't that it's exactly _unusual_ for Billy to show up unannounced - at this point they've been screwing around for about six months, officially dating for two, and Billy made it clear a long time ago that he would be over, without warning, whenever the urge drove him and rarely a moment before. It's just that, usually, Billy shows up a little more animated - horny, or angry, or some combination of the two - and today when Steve lets him in through the back slider, he's just quiet. A bit sullen.

When Steve tugs him down onto the couch with him he sits down without moving to touch Steve’s bare chest, or remove his own half-open shirt, then lets his head fall back with a long sigh. Steve frowns over at his boyfriend’s face and turns the volume down on the TV.

"What's up?" he asks, "everything alright?"

Billy makes a small noise and shrugs.

"Yeah, I'm fine, pretty boy. Just tired." His voice is dull, deep, gravely. _Tired_ certainly seems to fit, but… "It's just… my birthday today," he sighs, like this mood can be explained away with that simple statement. He rolls his eyes at himself, and pulls Steve’s arm around behind him, pulling him in close to use it as a pillow. “It’s stupid,” he says dismissively. “Shouldn’t get to me by now, ‘s not like birthdays have ever been worth looking forward to.” He turns a miserable half-smile on Steve. “Thought you’d understand that, maybe, huh?” he says, like it’s some kind of joke.

Steve frowns, pulls Billy in a bit closer and lays his right arm over Billy's warm belly.

“Yeah, I understand, handsome,” he breathes, watching as Billy turns his face away again and closes his eyes. He kisses his cheek, lets him stay quiet for a while, just holding him, till he can’t handle it anymore. Has to murmur: “you should’ve told me though, you dick. Shoulda told me it was your birthday.”

Billy snorts and opens an eye to look up at him.

“So what, you could buy me some stupid thing I’ll never use and Neil will probably take for himself anyway?” He turns his head to kiss the frown from Steve’s lips. “‘preciate the thought, sweetheart. But birthdays aren’t really my thing anyway. I’m just being stupid.”

Steve sighs and presses his face into Billy's shoulder exasperatedly.

"William Hargrove," he chides. "Shut the hell up, alright? It's your _birthday_. Your first birthday as Steve Harrington’s _boyfriend_. It should be special," he grins a little, always loving the sound of those words out loud, and tilts his head up a little to press a kiss to Billy’s chin. “ _I’m_ gonna make it special for you.”

Billy grins a little back at him at that.

" _First_ , huh?" he teases lightly.

"Yeah, it better fuckin’ be," Steve smirks, elbowing him. He sits up a bit and slips a leg over to straddle his boyfriend’s thighs, and thinks. "Mm I could've let you fuck my ass for the first time, but you already did that _weeks_ ago," he sighs. "That would've been _perfect_."

Billy barks a laugh and pulls Steve down to kiss him. "It's _fine_ , Stevie,” he says, dragging his hand up Steve’s hips and over his ass appreciatively. “Seriously, I don't think either of us could've waited for that till now, anyway. You were _begging_ for it by the time we got the chance. ‘Member that?"

"Yeah, fine, alright," Steve sighs, blushing a bit as Billy’s hands get a little more adventurous, very much reminding him _exactly_ how desperate he’d been for Billy’s cock that first time - and plenty of times since then. "So something else,” he says. And on second thought, “and not just sex, 'cause you can have that any time you want it." He tosses Billy one of those blinding smiles he knows he loves and rolls his hips just a little.

Billy chuckles through a groan and rolls his own hips too to pull him closer.

"You saying I _don't_ get sex, 'cause it's my birthday?" he raises his eyebrow. "That seems backwards to me, pretty boy."

"No, not _just_ sex, you douche," Steve says, pulling away from him before the stirring in his jeans becomes a real problem. "I’m gonna have my filthy way with you after,” he promises. “But before that I have to do _something_ … hm… ooh! How do you feel about a little driving? I think there's still time to make it..." he checks his watch and grins down at Billy.

Billy just gives him a look at that. A _what am I_ known _for in this tiny-ass town_ , look. So Steve kisses him again and slides up off of him, pulling Billy to his feet.

"C'mon, asshole," he says affectionately.

Steve lets Billy drive on the strict condition that Billy not bother asking where they’re going, or guessing, or trying to trick Steve into telling him in some way. Of course, that rule only lasts until the first highway sign that says: CHICAGO - 80 MILES.

“You takin’ me to the Windy City, baby?” Billy guesses, smirking. “You think ‘cause I complain about missing LA that I’ll take just any old American Landmark? I passed through it on my way to Hawkins, you know. It’s nice, I guess, but it ain’t _two hour drive_ nice.”

Steve rolls his eyes and gives Billy a shove.

“It’s not _even_ a two hour drive with you at the wheel, you ungrateful…”

“It _is_ Chicago, isn’t it?” Billy hoots. “Dammit, how am I even into you when you’re so damn predictable, huh?” he teases, but his grin says clear enough he doesn’t mean anything but the _into you_ bit.

“What was it you were saying the other day? I ‘even you out?’” Steve smirks.

Billy’s eyebrows go up.

“When did I say that? I didn’t say that.”

“You were drunk off your ass, but you said it. I was there. And so was Nancy, and…”

“Jesus, al _right_ ,” Billy gripes. “God, I really said that? You _soften me up_ , more like.”

Steve snorts and plants a kiss on Billy’s cheek.

“Yeah I do. Oh. Gimme your watch.”

Billy raises an eyebrow and holds out his right hand for Steve to take it himself, watching him. Steve links their fingers together with a wink and fiddles with the settings for a moment. Changes the time.

“That right?” Billy mutters, glancing between the new time on his watch and the time on the dash clock. An hour behind. “So what, you just given up on the element of surprise here entirely? Or am I s’posed to think you’re bluffing now? We goin’ to your family’s summer home or some shit?” he asks.

“My family’s summer home is in Italy," Steve dismisses with a wave, and Billy looks at him like he’s got three heads.

“Wait, seriously? You have _that_ house and your folks still have enough for a _seasonal_ one in _Italy_? Jesus, pretty boy, _please_ go into whatever business your daddy’s in,” he says.

But Steve just laughs and settles back into his seat, opening the map back up just enough that he can see where they need to make their next turn.

“I’m joking, you dick. We don’t have a house in Italy,” he smirks. “We’ve got a little cabin nobody ever visits in Maine, left to my mother by some great-grandmother. We do have _family_ in Italy though, I’ve heard.”

Billy rolls his eyes and gives his boyfriend a shove.

“You’re a dick,” he grumbles. “Got me all excited for Italy, now we’ve gotta drive to _Maine_ …”

Steve grins and kisses the hand on his shoulder.

“That’s another trip, baby. For now, just get us on 34 North up here,” he says, disappearing behind the map once again.

Billy’s always restless. It’s something Steve took a while to get used to. Took personally when they first started hanging out. When it would drive Billy out of his bed the minute they were both sated, or when he could never just sit still and watch a movie with Steve, or just talk. And of course, Billy’s defensiveness when he approached him about it didn’t help. But now he gets it. Doesn’t mind the fidgety-ness. Usually. But:

“Oh my god, Billy, touch that radio dial one more time and I’m calling off birthday sex right now. Jesus christ. Get off the highway.”

Billy rolls his eyes and pointedly puts his hand back on the wheel.

“Yeah, fine, sure, keep listening to this fuzzy country crap. I don’t even--”

“Get off the highway, Bill.”

“What? I’m not _doing_ anything? Are you serious?”

Steve tugs the wheel a bit, grateful for the lack of traffic _towards_ Lake Michigan this late, and Billy finally follows his instructions.

“ _Jesus_ , Harrington!” he yells when they come to the stoplight just off the off ramp. “The _fuck_ was that for?”

“You weren’t listening!” Steve says defensively. “Just… stay on this road for like… A mile and a half.”

Billy frowns. “We’re still going?” He sounds dubiously hopeful at that, and Steve feels bad suddenly, realizing he shouldn’t have said something like that even casually. Threatening to call anything off on a kid who’s probably had so many birthday things called off before. He reaches over and takes Billy’s hand in his. Kisses it. He knows exactly how that feels.

“Yeah, we’re still going, gorgeous,” he says.

“And you know we should stay on the highway if we wanna get to Chicago in this century, right?” Billy squints.

Steve bites his lip to hide a grin and shrugs, disappearing behind the map again.

“Stay on this road,” he says again.

Just before they get there, Steve has Billy stop at a little 24-Hour Supermarket so he can get some supplies. Uses the fake-ID Tommy’s brother made him when he was 16, and the credit-card-for-emergencies his mom got him when he was 14 to buy them beers and an opener, plastic utensils, and a little individual sized chocolate-coconut cake - hoping he remembers right from Billy’s throwaway comment at Max’s birthday that summer.

Then he takes over the driving and puts his shades on Billy’s eyes with a request that he try to sleep or something till they get there. Billy grumbles, but does as he’s told, trying his best to not look where they’re going for what turns out to be the last ten minutes of their drive.

Steve walks him right up to the edge of the waves before he lets him take off the shades, even though they both know where they are by that point, and though the sun is definitely setting by now it’s not dark enough that they really keep him from seeing anything. Still, he frowns and blinks and turns a little bewildered look on Steve when the glasses do come off. Wraps an arm around his waist.

“You brought me to Lake Michigan?” he asks.

Steve just smiles proudly.

“I brought you to _Long Beach,_ ” he says. “Long Beach, Indiana, but I figured they couldn’t be _too_ different.”

Billy just glances between him and the water for a moment, a little frown curving his brow, before burying his face in Steve’s shoulder in a bout of laughter that shakes his whole body.

“Jesus christ. You brought us all the way out to this little strip of nothing just to make that joke, didn’t you?” he groans. “Fuck, you’re horrible, Harrington. Absolutely horrible.” He pulls away and kisses him deep, so that Steve can hardly breathe. “You dorky piece of shit,” he breathes against Steve’s lips.

“There’s a pretty good Mexican restaurant back inland about a block too, if you want,” Steve grins when they pull apart. “I just wanted you to see this first.”

Billy snorts. “There’s nothing here to _see_ , asshole,” he complains. The beach is thin, and rocky, and _nothing_ like California’s Long Beach. But he takes Steve’s free hand anyway, and leads him down the water line a bit, away from the lights of the road and the little town on the waterfront. “So, you gonna tell me what’s in the bag?” he asks, and glances at Steve’s other hand, hears the clinking of bottles but can see there’s something else in there too.

“Yeah, sit down,” Steve says, pushing Billy to the rocky sand. “It’s nothing special, honestly,” he warns, sitting down opposite him. “I just… Wanted to get something your dad couldn’t take from you so…” He hands Billy the plastic grocery bag, and Billy pulls it open quickly, digs around a bit to see everything inside.

His face goes through a couple emotions. Surprise at the chocolate-coconut, mirth at the Coronas, soft enjoyment at how clearly Steve thought ahead of everything they’d need… But then, without warning, it wavers for a second. And Steve thinks he’s fucked up somehow when it cracks - Billy hiding it behind his hand suddenly like there’s something in his eye, and he _sniffles_ , and…

“Billy? Shit. I’m sorry, baby. What’s wrong?” Steve breathes, pulling the bag out from between them and shuffling closer to put his hands on Billy’s knees.

Billy just sniffles again and shakes his head.

“I’m fine. You’re fine,” he insists, “I’m just-- _Fuck_ \-- I’m not used to… People don’t just do nice shit like this for me. Ever. They don’t… And you remembered the thing I said about the cake, and…” He laughs wetly and looks back up at the water, the waves. Gestures to them. “All of this is just so fucking stupid, but it’s…” Billy allows Steve to stop him wiping his eyes, and lets his hand fall on top of Steve’s free one while Steve takes care of the tears on his cheeks. He stares down at their loosely tangled fingers with watery eyes and a hopeless looking smile, and shakes his head. “It’s really fucking sweet, babe, thanks.”

Steve laughs a little and leans in to press their lips together.

“Happy Birthday, handsome,” he breathes, between kisses.

They drink half the beers, and split the cake between them as darkness falls and stars come out above them, laughing and shoving bits in each other’s faces. And even when they have to rush back to the car when it suddenly gets way too cold to be out, Billy doesn’t think he’s ever had a better birthday in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> this is on [my tumblr](http://women-seem-wicked.tumblr.com/post/174969626181/cry-if-i-want-to/) too, if you wanna give this thing a reblog or somethin' ;)


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